Natural resource decisions made in President Obama’s first term included plenty of controversy: the ESA listing of the polar bear, along with listing and delisting of other high profile species; passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act; restoration of ESA consultation regulations that the second Bush Administration had altered; prioritization of domestic renewable energy projects; and efforts to zone areas of the ocean. The second term will include increased ESA listing decisions, including on backlogged “candidate” species; continued disputes between environmental groups, agencies, and developers over energy development on public lands; disputes over the designation of critical areas for wildlife; and, possibly, some level of implementation of a national ocean policy.